Automatic vacuum closing-valve.



M. T. VANDERVOORT. AuoMATlc VACUUM cL0s|NG VALVE.

1B3O21040 APPLICATION FILED DEC\ 4, |918. Patented Apr. 29

2 SHEETS-SHEET L /ZY/fra/ [dma/alwaar? M. T. VANDERVOORT. AUTOMATIC VACUUM CLUSUVG VALVE.

APPLICAUON FILED DEC.4. 9|8 LSOQOQ. Patented Apr. 29,1919.

2 sHEETs-sHEErz.

gwuewtcz MILFORD T. VANDERVOORT, 0F GRAND RAPIDS, MICIIIC--.AN,` ASSIG-NOR OF ONE-HALF T0 JOHN MILL WRIGHT, 0F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

.AUTOMATIC VACUUM CLOSING-VALVE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be itknown that I, MILFORD T. VANDER- voon'r, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vacuum Closing- Valves; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an automatically operable closing valve used for permitting the passage of liquids and closling after a measured or certain quantity of ,the liquid has passed. It is the primary object and purpose of the invention to provide a relatively simple and compact construction in which by a simple manual operation the valve may be opened to allow the passage of liquid, the closing 'of the valve thereafter being accomplished withput necessity of attention from anyone. A vfurther object of the invention is to produce a device of this -'character in which, after opening of the valve by manual operation, a brake which normally acts tomaintain the valve opening means in any position to which it 1s moved,

is released through the agency of a vacuum induced by the passage o f liquid through the device. Many other objects and. purposes, together with ldifferent uses to which the def vice may be put will appear in detail as the description progresses, vreference being had to the accompanying drawings showing a practical .and preferred form of the invention, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section through the liquid passing valve proper of the device.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal 4 4, of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section substantially on the broken line 5 5, of Fig. 1.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different views of the drawings.

In construction, a hollow valve casing or housing 1 is used, its upper end being formed with a cylindrical extension 2 from which section on the line l Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 290, 1919.

Application med December 4, 191s. serial No. 265,288.

an annular flange 3 extends, threaded as shown to provide for the connection of a liquid inlet pipe 5, use being made of the regular and conventional connections of liquid tight nature, as indicated at 4. At the lower end of the hollow casing 1, an outlet pipe 6 is positioned.

Vithin the casing 1, a cylindrical passage is provided by walls 7 which are integrally connected with the case by a partition 8 so that any liquid entered at the upper end of the casing must necessarily pass through such passage. The casing is also formed with a laterally projecting neck 9 having an open outer end which is closed by a substantially semi-spherical cover 10 which in its attachment is designed to hold a iieXi'b-le diaphragm so as to close the end of the neck and form an inclosed space 12 between the cover 10 and the diaphragm. In practice, the dia* phragm may be either thin sheet metal or other suitable flexible material. The diaphragm also serves to divide the space 12 from an inner inclosed space 13 in the casing as shown in Fig. 4. This inner space 13 has outlet passages 14 and 15 leading through the outer sides of the wall 7, the free passage through the same being obstructed and controlled by an adjustable valve 16 which threads through the casing 1 and which may be adjusted to different positions.

A funnel-like member 17 is inserted in the cylindrical passage inclosed by the walls 7, tapering inwardly and downwardly and entering, at its reduced lower end, into the upper enlargement of a passageway made through a member 18 having threaded connection at the lower end of the wall 7 as shown. The passageway through the member 18 is such, that taken in connection with the funnel 17, when liquid is passed from above through the same, there is a tendency for air to be drawn from around the funnel and from the chamber 13 through passages 14 and 15, thereby creating a parti-al vacuurn in said chamber.

Within the cylindrical extension 2 to the casing 1 the valve proper 19 is located, the same comprising a hollow cylinder having its lower end closed but with openings through said closure or bottom, the vertical walls of the valve being also provided with a plurality of openings 20 adjacent their upper edges which, in the lower position of the valve come below the upper edges of the extension 2 but above the same in upper position ol the valve as shown in Fig. B. A relatively heavy washer of rubber or other suitable equivalent material lies above the upper end of the valve and at its edges -is held securely as best shown in Fig. 3, and is provided with a. plurality of openings 22 therethrough located outside of the-edges of the upper end of the extension 2, whereby when the valve is in upper position, liquid coming through the inlet pipe 5 may pass into the casing but when the valve is in lower position, no liquid can pass.

A downwardly projecting lug 23 is formed :integral with the bottom or' the valve 19, or

otherwise permanently connected thereto, its lower end resting on a roller 211 carried off center at the end of a rod or shaft 25 which is rotatably mounted in a sleeve 26 cast integral with the valve casing 1. Rod 25 extends beyond the end of the sleeve and has a relatively heavy handle 27 of the form shown secured to it, it being'evident that by turning the handle to an upper position, the roller may be elevated with a consequent elevation of valve 19 to an upper position. A collar 28 is positioned around rod 25 between the end of the sleeve 25 and the adjacent end of the handle 27, this collar covering a gasket 29 or' suitable zbrake material which comes directly against the end of the handle 27. A member 30 is associated with the collar 28 extending downwardly therefrom so that its lower end is engaged by the outer end of a rod 31 attached to the diaphragm 11 and passing through the cover 10. A spring 32 under compression serves to normally force the end of rod 81 against member 30, this bringing the brake gasket 29 against the end of handle 27 whereby the handle remains in any position to which it is moved as long as the brake is in action.

With the handle 27 in the position shown in Figs. l and 2, the valve 19is lowered and no liquid can pass. To allow the liquid to pass, the handle 27 is turned so' that the roller 24 is raised, elevating valve 19, and it will be observed that the heavy end of the handle 27 is also elevated. The amount of turning movement to be imparted to the handle is governed by the stop interposed by linger 27ar on the handle coming into engagement with the shoulder V30a on member 30. The brake imposed upon the handle holds it in such position until such time Vas the passage of the liquid through the casing has drawn suiiicient air from the 'chamber 13 that thepressure of the regular atmosphere on thediaphragm 1l overcomes the force of spring 32, whereupon the brake is released, and the handle falls from its yown weight to lower position, automatically closin the passage of liquid. The amount of liquid in chamber 13 may lbe made at an earlier or later time dependen-t upon the area of the passage 14; left free by the screw 16. Accordingly with this construction, any desired or predetermined amount of liquid may be passed through the valve, making the same valuable for use in connection with flushing, in' measuring quantities of gasolene, and in many other relations. It is evident that the adjustment of the screw 16 may be yempirically determined so that different vpositio'nsoi1 the screw may be readily indicated vfor different measures fof liquid to be passed through the valve.

I claim:

l. In a construction of the character described, a'easin'g through which liquids are adapted to pass, a valve movably mounted in the easing-to take -two diteren't positions, one permitting the passage of liquids and the other stopping such passage, a handle, means mounted `on'the casing and associated with the valve 4tomove it to said first position, said handle being connected to said means for moving thev same, bra-ke means frictionally engaging the handle Vrto hold it in any positionto which it may be moved, and means automatically voper-able through the passage of liquid through the casing for releasing said brake means to permit the handle to take yits normal position and stop passage of liquid through the casing, substantially as described.

2. In a construction of the character described, a easing through which liquids are adapted to pass, a valve in the casing movableto 'occupy 'two dili`e1'entposi-tions, one allowing the passage of -liquids and the other stopping such passage, means mounted on the casing and associated with the valve for moving thevalvefto `the tirs't'posi'tion, a brake engaging with `said means -to l:frictionally retain it in any 'position to which it may be moved, a spring for `forcing the brake against saidv means, said casing being provided with Y`an air chamberV in which said spring islocated, and ymeans 'in the easing for automatically exhausting air from the chamber as liquid passes 'through the casing whereby the force of the spring isovercome by atmospheric pressure and the brake released, the valve returning to the second position, substantially as describedi'- 3. In a construction fof thecharaeter described, a casing through which liquidsl are adapted to pass, a -valve in the casing movable to occupy two dili'erent positions, one allowing the passage vof 'liquids and the'other stopping Vsuch passage, means Vmounted on the casing and associated with the valve for moving the va-lve Vto lirs't position, said means when free returning through gravity to a position such that the valve is closed, a brake engaging said means, a spring for forcing the brake thereagainst to normally hold the same in any position to which it may be moved, a diaphragm acted upon by the spring, said diaphragm inclosing an air chamber in the casing, and means in the casing for automatically exhausting air from the chamber as liquid passes through the casing, thereby causing the diaphragm under the pressure of the outside atmosphere to compress the spring and release the brake, substantially as described.

4. In a construction of the character described, a casing through which liquids are adapted to pass, a .valve in the casing movable to occupy two different positions, one allowing the passage of liquids and the other stopping such passage, means mounted on the casing and associated with the valve for moving the valve to first position, a brake engaging with said means to frictionally retain it in any position to which it may be moved, a spring for Jforcing the brake against said means, said casing being formed with an air chamber in which said spring is located and said air chamber having outlet passages communicating with the interior of the casing, means for enlarging or diminishing the outlet area of said passages, and means in the casing through which the liquid passes acting to withdraw air from said air chamber as the liquid passes whereby the force of the spring is overcome by atmospheric pressure and the brake released, permitting the valve to return to second position, substantially as described.

5. In a construction of the character described, a casing through which liquids are adapted to pass, a valve mounted at the upper end of the casing and movable to two p0- sitilons one allowing the passage of liquid and the other stopping such passage, a shaft rotatably mounted on the casing below the valve, a roller mounted off center at the end of the shaft on which the valve rests, a handle attached at the opposite end of the shaft, a brake interposed between the casing and the end of the handle to bear against said end of the handle, a member connected to the brake and depending therefrom, a flexible diaphragm disposed at one side of the casing and inclosing an air chamber made in the casing, said chamber having outlet passage connecting it with the interior liquid passage of the casing, a rod attached to the diaphragm and bearing at its outer end against said member connected to the brake, a spring in the air chamber acting normally to force said diaphragm and rod outwardly, an adjusting screw threaded through the casing into said outlet passage to the air chamber, and air exhausting means in the casing located in operative conjunction with said outlet passage to the air chamber, said means being operated by passage of liquid therethrough, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

MILFORD T. VANDERVOORT.

Copies of this patent may bie obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

